Where's the Good in Goodbye?
by AgentSmudge
Summary: When Altair is sent on a mission to kill Robert, Malik decides to come with him regardless if Altair wants him to or not. The only problem is that things don't go so well between the two and their friendship is on the line. Can Altair stop Robert without Malik? Rated T for death and blood. Altair Malik friendship. Story is set right before Altair kills Robert in Arsuf.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: This story has very detailed character death because I can only write pain ;)**

* * *

"Tears streaming down your face, when you lose something you cannot replace." ~Coldplay's Fix You

* * *

Malik was minding his own business as he reached atop a shelf to grab some supplies for his new map. Recently, the people of Jerusalem started coming to his 'shop' quite often in search of new maps. There was some rumour going around about a man taking and burning them as well as books. Fortunately for the people of Jerusalem, Altair found out who the culprit was and had him dead in a matter of hours. Though it did make him money, Malik was overwhelmed by the sudden request in maps, which made it difficult to focus on anything else.

As he rushed yet another map, he heard a familiar thump outside the Bureau door and assumed it was the Eagle himself. Seeing that he was indeed correct, he turned his head away and continued his work.

"Safety and peace, brother." Altair greeted the man in the black robe.

"Same to you. Do you have any news on Robert?" Malik inquired. Altair's new mission, only a mere day after his last assassination, was to track and dispose of Robert De Sable. Robert was a deceitful man and bent his subordinates will to satisfy his own, not caring about the outcome. He was not in power to lead the Crusaders with Richard to take back the Holy Land, he was interested in conquering it for himself.

"I have news that he is planning an attack with Richard near Arsuf. I will be headed there at once." Altair answered his superior and turned to walk out the door. Malik thought for a moment and wondered how Altair was going to take down an _entire_ Crusader army by himself. Yes, he had faith in the man, but _this_ mission was suicide. He was a fool.

"What is your plan? Surely you won't be running in their without a plan?" Malik put his writing feather down and looked up. Altair stopped in mid walk and slumped his shoulders.

"I ride to Arsuf and convince Richard that Robert is deceiving him." He spoke, but seemed unsure of his own plan. Malik immediately noticed and spoke up.

"You are not positive your plan will work. I can tell." Both were quiet and Altair just stared at his feet, trying to think of how to appease Malik. Malik got up from the small stool he was sitting on and Altair looked up.

"I guess this means I will have to accompany you along the way." This shocked Altair. Malik never left the Bureau, especially on an assassination mission. _What was he thinking?_

"What do you mean? You cannot fight." Altair's tone was a very confused one. Truth was, he didn't want to see Malik get hurt again. He would never forgive himself if he had caused yet another of one of his dear friend's deaths.

"For your information, I _can_ fight. Unlike you who skipped many of the novice trainings, _I_ actually learned how to fight if one of my limbs were to be taken from me." He replied, somewhat annoyed that Altair thought so lowly of him. Altair just scoffed.

"Like I needed that many days of training anyway…"

"You'd know how to swim if you had attended class, Novice." The Bureau leader retorted back. Altair waved him off and walked outside. He checked over his equipment and scaled the wall. Malik figured he wanted to leave at that moment, so he too prepared to go. He blew out the candles, rolled up his maps, put the books away and strapped his old assassin boots on.

Opening the secret door by the bookcases, Malik crept out, careful to keep the guards' eyes off him. He had abandoned his Bureau robes on the countertop inside and flipped his hood up. He met Altair next to the building and they walked side by side, careful to avoid suspicion. After a while of walking, Altair spoke up, still careful to keep his head low.

"They still suit you, y'know." He commented, referring to Malik's old robes. Malik grinned as his thoughts were now focused on the days of when he was a true assassin. He and Altair were promoted Master Assassins once the old ones retired and moved on to a more peaceful lifestyle. Even though he was promoted the same time Altair was, he was older than the latter by a little less than a year.

Thought he did not receive a reply after his comment, Altair smiled back under his hood.

* * *

The two assassins reached the stables and saddled up a horse. Of course, Altair had only brought one horse with him, which was a problem for Malik. He had sold his horse once he arrived in Jerusalem, considering he couldn't afford to have someone look after it. Altair gave him a look that said 'Don't worry about it' and was suddenly gone from Malik's sight. Not wanting to know what Altair was up to, Malik turned to the white horse Altair owned and led him to the road. He figured it would be easiest to get the horse prepared and leave immediately.

Disturbing the calm afternoon atmosphere was the last thing Malik wanted Altair to do, yet here he was racing across the road with a grey stallion, saddled and ready to ride. Before Malik could interpret what Altair had done, the Master Assassin yelled and pointed to his own horse next to Malik.

"Hop on and go!" He shouted. Malik barely had time to do so, but made it in on in time before the guards caught up. _Out of all the assassins, he just had to get stuck with Altair. He was furious._

"What was that!?" He yelled across to Altair, who was trying to gain his balance. He had taken the horse so swiftly, he couldn't steady the horse fast enough to properly mount.

"It was me obtaining transportation." He simply explained, knowing Malik would just argue with him anyway.

"And what if a guard had mounted his own horse in pursuit of you?" The Bureau master glared at Altair for a few seconds before returning his eyes to the road ahead. The Eagle shrugged, but it was left unseen by Malik as Altair's horse's movement disguised his own.

Both rode in silence for hours before they spoke again. Arsuf was about two days away from Jerusalem by horse and they had a long road ahead. Altair spotted a merchant ahead and knew his newly acquired horse needed water. Malik followed him and stopped his horse next to a small pole. He tied up the horse the best he could with one arm and walked over to Altair, who spoke with the merchant.

"How much for some bread and a canteen of water?" Altair asked coldly. He had his hood down to let fresh air on his face. His hair was a mess and Malik observed he looked rather tired. He wondered to himself how much time Altair slept before he had to report back to Al Mualim.

Malik fiddled with one of the reins from the horses and looked over to Altair. He was carrying a canteen, but only one piece of bread, much to Malik's dismay. Altair barely ate as he was too busy doing missions, but Malik had a set schedule of when it was time to eat and found it disappointing that they only possessed one piece of bread. He frowned and was about to hop on his horse when a hand in front of him stopped him.

" _This_ " Altair gestured to the white horse, "is my horse, remember?" He rhetorically asked and jumped on his horse.

"You're impossible." Malik stated and reluctantly mounted the grey stallion. After giving the horses some water from the trough, Altair swiftly made the them go into a gallop. As the sun was setting and casting shadows from the dead plants, the two assassins carried on and rode across the desert horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: So this is the last part of this story, BUT I might be posting a sequel that has a little twist ;)**

 **This is also the chapter where the warning from earlier applies: Character Death**

* * *

(A day later)

Weaving their way through the crowd near the front gate, Altair and Malik tied their horses outside Arsuf. The city was small and full of people, making it almost impossible to move. Most were headed out of the city, knowing that an impending catastrophe was on it's way. They had heard chat from the guards and were smart enough to pack up and leave. Robert made his presence known and made it clear no one would stand in his way.

"We need to find a place for you to stay." Altair spoke up after the horses were taken care of. Malik would have crossed his arms at that moment if he could, but instead he just scoffed.

" _For me to stay_? I'm coming with you, Altair." He firmly stated, making Altair sigh. Nothing was going as planned for him. He didn't even want to bring Malik in the first place, and now he had to watch him like some pet. He didn't have time for Malik's stubbornness, so he got right to the point and didn't sugarcoat it.

" _Malik_ , you are staying away from Robert and I. This is _my_ battle, not _yours_. It's not your problem." He snapped, making Malik almost flinch. The latter frowned and Altair could practically feel the heat emitting from his friend. Malik couldn't hold it in any longer.

"You think that since I have lost my arm I am useless, incompetent, and overall a _bother_ to you! I decided to come on this mission _myself_ and will look after _myself_." He exclaimed, hoping he would get his point across. Although Altair would normally hold in his anger quite well, he couldn't do it after Malik's comment.

"You're in my way! I didn't invite you for a reason, assassins work _alone_." His voice was cold and the first sentence hit Malik like a rock. Of course, Altair didn't quite mean what he said. He just didn't want Malik to get hurt anymore that he already had.

" _You_ work alone, normal assassins take a partner with them! Even if they are a so called 'Master Assassin', we work in groups, Altair!" He put air quotes to emphasize his point, throwing Altair off. At that moment, any hope of redemption for Altair was gone. He had thrown everything he learned from the past month out the window.

"I don't need some _cripple's_ help anyway, I'm better than you could ever hope to be! _You and Kadar never stood a chance!_ " His words felt like a stab wound to Malik and Altair didn't even look back as he stormed off into the crowd.

Unaware that he was blocking the street, Malik sunk to his knees and stared off in the direction the assassin vanished to. People avoided bumping into him and looked at him with curiosity, but Malik stayed frozen.

* * *

Altair had swiftly climbed atop a bell tower to get away from all the noise below. His thoughts were clouded with anger and regret all at the same time. Perched on the edge like a bird of prey, he looked down into the small city for a glimpse of Malik, but found nothing. Guilt rose in him almost immediately after he spoke to Malik, but his pride took over and created disaster. He knew he was _far_ from being the best assassin or even _compare_ to Malik. Malik was better than Altair in many ways. Would he allow himself to admit this? No.

Remembering that he had a mission to do soon, he scanned below and found a haystack dumped next to the market. The mission would give him a chance to think some more and to figure out how to apologize to Malik eventually.

* * *

The Bureau leader sat on a bench, watching the people walk the streets. He figured Altair would be out by now planning his attack on Robert and convincing Richard of deceit. He sat slumped back on the bench against the wall and let out a long sigh. _Altair was right_ , he thought. _Kadar and I never stood a chance._ He closed his eyes, attempting to hide his sadness. The last thing he wanted was for Altair to show up and see him moping about Kadar.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream from a woman in the alley around the corner. When Malik arrived, the woman was shocked and explaining to the guards what she had seen. Judging by the faint trail of blood on the ground, Malik could only guess that the guards were after someone. He deduced that since the city was so small, the culprit could only be Altair.

He was about to trail the blood but stopped himself. What did he care if Altair got himself in trouble? _He is a jerk, arrogant, and didn't change at all. It was just an act...and I fell for it._ He sunk back on the bench he previously sat on and closed his eyes once more, this time wanting to take a nap to forget the events of earlier. He couldn't seem to fall asleep though and was still curious about who's blood was on the street. He concluded by now that it couldn't have been Altair's. He was too good, he was…' _Better than you could ever hope to be!'._ Malik sighed.

* * *

(About twenty minutes earlier)

Altair was running out of rooftop to speed across and scanned the area to find a place to hide. He was unsuccessful and was cornered between a wall and a building. The advancing Templars surrounded him and unsheathed their swords from their scabbards. Altair stood up straight and outwardly admitted defeat to ease the knights. There were at least seven well-trained Templar knights that he had to face _alone_. Regretting earlier all together, Altair knew he could have used Malik to get himself out of the predicament and mentally cursed to himself.

Suddenly, the knights backed off and left and opening for the Eagle to escape. It was too late however, because Robert De Sable himself now occupied the opening. Altair let out a low growl of annoyance and hatred aimed at the Templar. Robert just smirked and waved the guards to lower their weapons. _A bold and arrogant move, Robert…_ He dared to say outloud.

"It seems that the infamous 'Eagle of Masyaf' has been cornered. You're time is up, _assassin_." Robert spoke with malice in his voice. Before Altair could do anything, the Templar knights were upon him, holding his arms back. He was unable to move his limbs at all and panic spiked up in him. Something he hadn't experienced in a long while. He felt like an animal about to be brought to the slaughterhouse.

Leaning over and trying to make it hard for the guards to carry him away, Altair's face was brought up by the tip of a sword to his chin. He looked up in fear that the sword would cut his throat, and was met with an ugly scarred face.

"You will come back with us and tell us everything you know." De Sable confidently stated. Altair lowered his head as the sword was brought away. After Altair didn't reply, Robert waved the guards on to carry him along. He was left being dragged with his toes just touching the earth and his back aching from the position he was in. His feet caught grip on the ground and he forced them all to stop. Robert turned around in curiosity as Altair scowled and his eyes met Robert's.

"I won't go." His voice was emotionless as usual, but it caught some of the knights off guard. Robert raised an eyebrow and laughed.

"You think you have a _choice_? Do not put yourself above others, assassin, if you cannot keep yourself there." His words were true, Altair noted, but that did not stop him from stalling the man. He had a faint thought that perhaps maybe Malik was watching and would spring in to save him any moment.

His effort was in vain though, as he realized Malik had no reason to save him. Why would he? He had almost forgotten about the argument they had less than an hour ago. The Templars stopped moving and Robert was speaking an unusual language to them. Thankfully, Altair knew English and could make out most of the words the Templar Grandmaster had said.

" _We will stop here and regroup in ten minutes. Keep the assassin from moving, you two stay here._ " Altair assumed he was talking to the two guards holding him and he thought of a plan to escape. Robert and the other knights walked into a building unfamiliar to Altair and left him with two guards. He kept his head low, but glanced around to find an opening around the small wall placed around the perimeter of the building. He found one guard stationed on an above tower and noted to avoid running that direction.

After he decided on his plan, Altair flipped his body over the guard, trying to ignore the pain of twisting his arms in such a way. He broke free of the two and punched one in the face on his way out. Forgetting to shut the other guard up, Altair heard him yell something he couldn't quite make out. He ran and suddenly dodged an arrow that struck by his foot. Glancing back, he saw an archer, but slammed into something in front of him. He fell back on the ground. Hard. His body ached everywhere and his vision momentarily became a blur. After recovering, he could make out a sword coming down on him and rolled to the side. A Templar from the other side of the wall had heard what was going on and stopped Altair with a metal shield.

Robert didn't know what had happened. He had been doing business with another Templar commander when he heard the commotion outside. The guards he hired were fools to let the assassin escape. Robert had his men searching for the accursed Eagle of Masyaf for years ever since Altair's first assassination.

He had slipped right by Robert during his mission as the Templar was asleep in his the castle not even hearing the assassin open the door next to him. Altair had one mission: kill the man who was kidnapping assassin informants. He had done as asked and before Robert knew, it was too late to do anything.

Even now, three years later, Altair's skill still shocked Robert. As he looked out the window, he saw his men struggling to keep the assassin on the ground. Robert ran outside immediately and grabbed a sword, ready to strike.

* * *

Malik felt unease as he walked back to the horses. Something felt _off._ Altair never took his time during an assassination, especially if his target was Robert. He needed him quickly eliminated from the Templar ranks and of the earth. So Malik wondered, _what was he doing?_

Malik's head whipped around at the noise of metal clashing in an alleyway. He noted it wasn't far from where Altair had gone for his mission, which brought worry up in Malik. Altair wasn't supposed to _fight_ Robert, just kill him quickly. Malik knew that Robert was well-trained and that Altair had little chance against his broadsword.

The Bureau leader flipped up his hood and rushed as fast as he could towards the noise of metal on metal.

* * *

Altair tried as best he could to dodge the sword coming at him and ran into a shadowed alley, but the blade skimmed across his arm anyway. He grunted loudly in pain as he grabbed where the wound had been freshly made. Blood seeped through his fingers as he tried to stop the bleeding, but the Templar knew what he was doing. The knight kept trying to jab the assassin until he had no strength left to do so. Altair rolled over and sat himself up, quickly trying to stand. He made a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Robert charging.

"Take him down, don't let him escape!" The Templar Grandmaster commanded. Altair's heart raced and his hand reached for his sword, only to find it gone from the scabbard. _The guards must have taken it while I was distracted!_ He thought. Realizing he still had a hidden blade, he quickly turned to the guard from before and struck him where his spine and skull connected. The man fell in an instant, but Altair wasn't safe yet.

Robert slashed his sword at the assassin and hit his arm bracers. Without a proper weapon, Altair was at a major disadvantage and didn't stand a chance against De Sable's broadsword. It came down on the armor on his back and knocked the wind from Altair. He immediately fell hard to the ground on his back and was left gasping for air. He grabbed his chest in in pain and thought he must have a few broken bones. He closed his eyes and waited for death's embrace once more.

The assassin's ragged breaths told Robert he had won against his great foe, but victory wasn't enough for the Templar. He wanted Altair _suffering and dead_ , and he was going to achieve his goal no matter the cost. Bringing his sword up high above Altair, De Sable embedded the weapon with great force into the already dying man. Altair instinctively flinched when the sword made contact, but otherwise didn't quite notice what had happened until he saw blood in front of him. It must have been his own blood.

"Ghaahhh! Mali-" He tried to yell for help, but choked on blood and was wheezing beyond his control. He looked up at Robert's face. He saw the face of a murderer and knew that Robert was enjoying every moment of Altair's suffering. He heard a faint yell not too far from him and closed his eyes, the pain becoming numb to him.

* * *

Malik saw everything. He ran around the corner of the dark alley and saw Robert standing over Altair, sword high in the air. His heart sank. He wasn't fast enough as he leaped forward and stabbed Robert right through his armor. Malik's hidden blade slipped through the Templar's ribs and pierced his heart. He fell back with a shock scarred on his face for eternity and with him went the sword. Malik scowled at Robert's now lifeless body and quickly realized that Altair was still alive. _Barely_.

"Altair!" Malik leaned down to get a closer look. He was still breathing, but was having more trouble than he should have had. He carefully dragged Altair to another alley close by to avoid any attention. When Malik spoke again, Altair's eyes opened and he lifted up his hand to grab Malik's shoulder. He found it difficult to keep a grip however, as his strength was decreasing.

"Malik….I-" His voice was more controlled now, but he was still trying to keep himself from choking.

"Don't speak...I...I need to get you to a doctor, he can help y-" But Malik was cut short as Altair shook his head. Malik noted that he lost a lot of blood and wondered how his friend hadn't already died.

"There's nothing you can do for me." Altair's quiet voice broke Malik's thoughts. He had never heard Altair's voice this soft before. It was almost as if Altair was calm or at peace for once.

"Don't say that! I can find something to stitch your wound with and…...and…" Malik couldn't help it anymore. His vision was blurring because of the tears beginning to form. He knew there was nothing they could do, so why couldn't he just accept it?

"Malik, I need to….apologize." Altair let go of the Bureau leader's shoulder and his arm slumped next to his own body. Malik's gaze followed his arm and then he saw the sword wound. It was thick because of the broadsword that went all the way through a few ribs and into the earth beneath the Eagle. What shocked Malik wasn't the wound, but the fact that his best friend was dying in front of him. He wiped the tears he had shed earlier and smiled at his dying friend.

"You don't need to apologize again. We both made mistakes." Malik stated, but Altair insisted otherwise. Before he spoke, he began to cough up specks of blood in which Malik wiped away for him.

"I'm sorry, I really am. I said terrible things and shouldn't have…" His voice was nothing but a raspy whisper as he tried to speak. Malik couldn't say anything. After a few seconds of silence, malik noticed Altair's eyes lost their shine and knew he was fading from this world. Altair swallowed some blood and cleared his voice.

"Malik, where's the _good_ in _goodbye_?" Altair questioned, not expecting his friend to have an answer for him. It seemed to Altair that his whole life revolved around despair, yet his father always told him one thing: "There's a _good_ in _goodbye_ for a reason." He didn't believe such. If that were true, then what was good about this goodbye?

"Altair…" Malik's voice trailed off. Altair tried to sit up, but Malik helped him lean against his side instead. With little trace of pain on his face anymore, Altair smiled and felt a tear run down his face. What better death than to die with your best friend by your side? The heat emitting from Malik was prominent now because of the cold Altair felt in his own body. To Malik, it felt as though he were already holding a dead corpse. The fire and enthusiasm that once made itself known in Altair was gone. They were both quiet, but Altair closed his eyes and spoke once more.

"I think…" He struggled to speak as he concluded that his time was up, "I have seen enough for one lifetime..."

Once the words were said, Malik felt Altair breathe his last breath. It was over. The Eagle of Masyaf had finally fallen. Altair passed away with a smile on his face and a peaceful look, despite the pain in his life.

Malik slowly let down Altair to rest on the ground. He choked back a few sobs, but tears streamed down anyway.

 _Out of all the assassins, he had been stuck with Altair. And he was okay with that._

* * *

"Lights will guide you home

and ignite your bones,

but I will try….to fix you." ~Fix You


End file.
